I'd like to talk about my two babies for my first post. After months of indecision and agonizing about what car I should get, I went ahead and purchased an A4 1.8T quattro. I've been driving a Sportcross for the past 2 years, but now that I have the Audi, my wife drives the Sportcross (since she can't drive stick).

I have to say that I absolutely love both cars! I can't decide which one is my favorite. Of course the Audi is under-powered, but I chose the 1.8 over the 3.0 because it felt "snappier" to drive. Plus I am going to get the APR ECU upgrade which will give me more HPs and a whole bunch more torque. The A4 has the Sportcross beat when it comes to interior finish, materials and design. I like the A4's stock stereo too. As far as exterior looks, I would call it even. The Sportcross is a rare sighting and I just love its hatchback/wagon identity crisis. My A4 came with an aero-kit -- part of the ultra sport package which includes 18 inch wheels as well as stiffer springs, perforated leather steering wheel and shift ****. The A4's bodykit is subtle yet aggressive.

But the A4 is not a keeper -- I'm looking to trade up to an S4 once the payments are up (4.2 V8 engine 350HP!! yikes!!) The Sportcross is a keeper. I have plans to mod the sh*t out of it. Right now I have the L-tuned wheels on it (18x8 front, 18x9.5 rear). I traded front bumpers with an IS sedan so that I can put the Blitz front lip on it. If anyone knows JoeZ from IS300.net, he's the guy that I did the bumper swap with... yes, I do have the JoeZ 1st gen intake. I also purchased C-One Motorsport rear lip spoiler and R-Spec Illusion fender flares. I'm looking to get the Top Gun Carisma side-skirts to complete my jigsaw puzzle body kit. Other mods to the interior and engine are on the wishlist.

 

If you plan to upgrade to an S4, make sure it is a Quattro......if the AWD is not standard. You'll probably want at least one car with good wet / snowtraction, and the Sportcross...or any IS300, for that matter, is definitely not a winter car....even with the all-season tires.
Having said that, I'm not sure I agree that the A4's interior really beats the SportCross....but they both are nice. The Audi has nice detailing and fit-and-finish, with wood, brushed aluminum, and high-quality materials. The Sportcross ( unless you got the leather shift-**** option ) has a really nice chrome ball shifter and finely detailed chronograph-gauges. And unlike other cars, that chrome shifter is REAL...not just cheap shiny tinfoil-coat plastic like on some other cars.
Good luck with the S4. I'm sure it will be a better buy than the next I-Drive Chris Bangle 3-series...but be careful.....Audi is using a similiar system now on some cars.

 

I see this is your first post with us....welcome to Club Lexus.

 

welcome to clublexus, very nice write up. yes the new s4 is sick, with a v8 you can't lose! definitely post some pics if so do that oh and post some pics of your is300 too!

mmarshall, he's in california, why the heck would he care about winter traction....

 

Well, CA is not all low-altitude and semi-tropical like the L.A. basin and the deserts...the poster did not say what part of the state he / she is from. Some of the roads up the Sierra Nevada and the Cascades can be awful in the winter....you're looking at snow measured in feet (before plowing). My home state of VA is the same way....easier winters in the Norfolk area and rough ones in the mountains.
AWD also is a benefit in rainy conditions, not just snow.

Now....some people just pack their cars up in the winter and don't drive them at all...or as little as possible. There I could see your point.

 

Thanks for all the welcomes Just a couple of replies:

- the S4 comes standard with quattro -- I wouldn't have it any other way

- I live in SoCal (Lomita to be exact)

- the Sportcross does the job pretty much year-round since the climate is pretty mild, but I haven't dared take it up to the mountain during the winter (too many snow horror stories with the IS) -- that's what the A4 quattro is for.... SouthernCalifornians get pretty crazy and panicky with a little bit of rain and I want the sure footedness of the quattro for peace-of-mind if it ever came down to emergency maneuvers in bad weather

- as far as interior, I still have to go with the A4 -- a bit too much plastic in the IS, but don't get me wrong, I do love the Sportcross's interior -- build quality is evident .... in both cars

 

welcome to CL.

i'd love to see what you have done with your SportCross, please post some picts when you get the chance.

 

WELCOME TO CLUBLEXUS!!!!!

 

so that's where joez got his bumper from!! i was wondering about that...

btw, there are quite a few .NET ppl from the south bay area...we hardly ever see modded sportcrosses at our so cal meets. we would love to see more!!

 

It's gonna be a while til I get my body kit installed since I just bought that A4 and my wife and I are planning to buy a house. But I do have drawings of what it will look like when it is done. I'll post those when I get a chance.

Yes, modded Sportcrosses are rare. I know of only one -- a .NET member, but there are quite a few of them in Japan. In fact, my fender flares and rear bumper spoiler had to be ordered from Japan. L-Tuned in Carson did all the leg-work for me.

BTW, did anyone go to the Long Beach Grand Prix? They had last year's IS300 (or was that 2 years ago) pace car on display. It has 280 HP by way of a supercharger but the tech guys on the floor didn't know sh*t about the engine mods. Does anybody have any info on this car.... just curious.